l buy/use my cheeses far after the sale date as that is when they are generally ripe. Here in France other than industrial cheeses, there are no dates and that is fine for the French and me.When you freeze a cheese it changes. Only one with little moisture, as Parmigiano Reggiano and very old Goudas can be successfully frozen.To keep longer have the product vacuum packed by your local cheese shop, or if this happens with some frequency, get a home sealer.l have cheese vacuumed sealed in my fridge that have been there for 6 years and they are just fine and aging very slowly.

Deluca, I'm very interested in your vacuum sealing thoughts as I admire your posts and obvious knowledge. A local monger who has been inducted into both the Confrérie des Chevaliers des Fromages de France and the Guilde des Fromagers Confrerie du Saint-Uguzon, among other stuff, once told me that she is opposed to vacuum sealing precisely because it inhibits the maturation process, essentially "killing" the cheese. I'm not trying to be provocative, merely intrigued to hear more on this, if you'd care to say more. Cheers!

Thank you for your kind words.What you and she said is indeed true. What l vacuum are hunks of a kilogram or larger which allows the cheese to age without screwing up too much on the exterior. Gruyere for example when vacuumed and long-aged has its crust become softer and usable for fondue, lucky me.l have vacuumed smaller cheeses as an arome du gene, about 3-4 ounces from Renee Richard in Lyon and forgot about it for almost 2 years, when opened it turned from a dryish disk with the appropriate grape pips and skin to a luscious gooey round with same skins/pips, it was awesome and a lucky screwup.Again in my cheesefridge in states l have about 7 hunks, or total 15 pounds aging and working well.Would l do it with a gooey, as a couloummiers or even a munster no, but has worked well for a 4-6 months age with a reblochon. l do bring home vacherin mont d'or, vacuumed but they are vacuumed over the box and vacuumed only for the trip home.Remember you cannot normally age a chunk but only an entire cheese whether 8 oz or 80 pounds, so l do the best l can.Again YMMV.

Fantastic, thanks. I worked in a fine cheese shop a thousand or so years ago and do recall that full rounds would often arrive vacuum sealed. There is a shop in town that does smaller chunks this way and I guiltily purchase the odd piece there as "emergency cheese" to have at the ready when unexpected guests turn up. I haven't had any flameouts yet.

I freeze cheese all the time, well-wrapped but not vacuum sealed. I have blocks of Tillamook cheddar in the freezer now that I probably won't eat until Fall. The texture changes a bit, but the flavor is retained very nicely and meltability stays pretty much the same. Best to double or triple wrap, and I'd suggest dividing it into small, one- or two-time-use portions before freezing, because once thawed you'll have to use it up quickly.